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Down Syndrome or Trisomy 21 as it is also commonly known is a genetic condition that for many years has been shrouded in fear darkness shame There is absoultely nothing to fear and there never should be any feelings of shame it is not the persons fault The only darkness associated with down syndrome is the ignorance many people have towards itBasically down syndrome means that a person has one extra chromosome in each of the milions of cells in their body Instead of 46 chromosomes persons with down syndrome have 47 chromosomes The extra chromosome happens at the 21st pair thus TRISOMY 21 It can and does happen to anyoneThe late 19th century John Langdon Down an english physician published an accurate description of a person with down syndrome It was published in 1866 and earned Down the recognition as father of the syndromeThroughout the 20th century advances in medicine science enabled researchers to investigate the characteristics of people with down syndrome It was later determined that an extra partial or complete 21st chromosome results in the characteristics associated with down syndromeWhy is down syndrome referred to as a genetic conditionThe human body is made up of cells all cells contain a center called a nucleus in which genetic material is stored This genetic material knowsn as genes carries the codes responsible for all our inherited characteristicsGenes are grouped along rod-like structures called chromosomes Normally the nucleus of each cell contains 23 pairs of chromosomes half of which are inherited from each parentIn down syndrome however the cells usually contain not 46 but 47 chromosomes with the extra chromosome being a number 21 This excess genetic material in the form of additional genes along the 21st chromosome results in down syndromeBecause 95 percent of all cases of down syndrome oocur because there are three copies of the 21st chromosome it is referred to as trisomy 21Down syndrome is usually caused by an

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